And They Call It, Puppy Love
by OuroborosSnyder
Summary: This is my attempt at a Happy CI fic. I don't want to give it away, so for this one, just look at the title. More Info Inside. Rated K-Plus for some language. BA Friendship for this one. Post "Untethered." Pretend "Purgatory" hasn't happened yet. COMPLETE


**Title:** And They Call It, Puppy Love.

**Show:** LOCI

**Pairing:** BA. Not really a couple…more like a good friendship fic than anything else.

**Disclaimer:** Sadly enough, I don't own anything. This is written for pure enjoyment only and no profit!

**Rating:** K+ You know me, I do swear, but it's not too much.

**Spoilers: **Not really any…slight mentions of "Untethered" but that's it.

**Authors Note:** This takes place a few months after "Untethered" aired and NO, this is not a continuation fic of "Untethered." So, I planned to have this out like months ago, but I couldn't figure out how to finish it...so pretend "Purgatory" hasn't aired yet.  
This story just came to me while I was lying down. I can't really describe it because then it will give it away (Innocent Look). Just read.

**Summary:** (Cough) Look at title (Cough). This is my attempt at a happy fic. I don't write them normally because, well I suck at them. You guys all know my specialty, but here we go.

**CHAPTER 1:**

Alex and Bobby had been through a lot lately. Bobby was just starting to quietly ease himself back into work, but things still weren't completely back to normal; whatever normal was for Robert Goren. Tates had affected him, severely affected him for a while, but he successfully pulled himself back from _that _disaster. Surprisingly well in Alex's opinion. People did gaze at him differently at 1PP when he first came back, but he managed to ignore the strange looks. Yes, it's true that people looked at him weird before Tates; they thought he was _different _and he even felt his partner's unease around him at times, but all started to fall into a normal routine again.

He was happy to be back to work. It was his life, it's what made him whole, but Bobby sensed the need for something else in his life. Something to cheer him up. Something to make him smile at the end of the day…

It was around 10:00 AM on a Friday and Bobby and Alex were working quietly at their desk. Alex was typing away on her lap top and Bobby was scanning over some old notes from the case they'd just put to rest yesterday. The day was slow, but Bobby felt anxious and a phone call from his landlord reminded him why.

"I'm so sorry. Yes, I'll…ok…no, no I'll handle it. I'll be there right away." Bobby staggered over the phone and shifted nervously in his chair.

Eames tilted her head to the side and looked at him over the top of her laptop.

_Now what's he gotten himself into? Where did he have to be? Obviously it wasn't a call from his mother. If it was his mother, it would be an X-File since she's dead! Ok, no TNT X-Files marathons for you anymore. But seriously, who could it be? Possibly his brother? No, no, he said he was done with him…but still…_

Bobby hung up the phone and pushed himself back from his desk and quickly stood up. Without uttering a single word to the prying eyes of one Alexandra Eames, he made his way towards Ross' office.

"Sir? Can I have a word with you?" He asked as he stood in the doorframe of Ross' office.

Danny Ross looked up from his desk and immediately sensed the uneasiness of one of his best Detectives and waved him in.

"Shut the door behind you, Detective."

Bobby did as he was told; shutting the door slowly and then quietly, he stood in front of Ross' desk. He started fidgeting with his hands when Ross spoke up.

"So, what can I do for you, Detective? You look like you have something on your mind." He said, setting down his pen.

_Oh god, what is it now?_

"Sir, can I have the rest of the day off?"

Bobby's question made Ross lean back in his chair and study the genius IQ level detective further. He rarely asked for time off. Actually, he couldn't recall the last time Bobby asked for a day off, but when he did, it was for something personal.

"May I ask why?"

"It's…personal." Bobby Mumbled. It was all he wanted to reveal.

_Just perfect._

"Well, I don't see why not. You and Eames did a great job on the last case, closing it rather quickly. The Chief of D's is pleased and if he's pleased, so am I because it stops him from riding my ass every other hour." He looked up at Bobby who was not quite smirking. "Anyways, you don't have any cases that are active for the time being, so you may leave early."

Bobby nodded.

"Thank you sir…I'll…I'll see you Monday morning." And before Ross could even reply, Bobby was out the door and heading back to his desk.

"What was that about?" Alex asked as she took in her partner's uneasy form.

"Oh…um, nothing. I—I gotta go. I'll see you on Monday." He managed.

Bobby quickly gathered what he could, including his prized possession, his leather binder, and scurried out of One Police Plaza before anymore questions could be asked.

Alex's eyes narrowed as they followed the 6'4 figure until he was out of eyesight. She was worried, but at the same time, curious. She wasn't sure which one to feel though. He normally didn't run off without some sort of reason given. Typically, it was anger that made him storm off, but Alex usually knew the reason behind it. Now he just flat out left and there was no anger to be shown and no reason or explanation rendered. A phone call was what seemed to set him off, it made him anxious, but he wasn't hurt or even agitated. No emotion shown besides the slight rush to get the hell out of here.

_Well, he was apologetic on the phone but other than that...I'm at a loss here._

It was now around 11:30 AM and Alex still had not heard from Bobby. Her curiosity was getting the best of her. She thought he'd at least call her after he settled whatever it was that needed to be settled, but not even a text message.

Quietly, she made her way into Captain Danny Ross' office. Before she decided to enter his office, she had managed to absent mindedly think of how she was going to ask him about Bobby, but once she entered his office, all bets were off.

"Sir, do you know where Detective Goren went this morning?" She bluntly asked and paced in front of his desk nervously.

"Detective? Is something wrong?" He asked and sighed as he set him pen down once again.

"No! Well, at least I don't think so…" She calmed herself down. "He just…he just didn't really say anything. He just said he'd see me on Monday."

"Well, typically when someone says, "See you on Monday," that's a good sign." He said. "At least in Goren's case." He mumbled to himself.

Alex heard him, of course, but ignored it as she pressed him for answers.

"May I ask what he said to you?"

"He asked me if he could have the rest of the day off. A personal day. He didn't seem upset." He tried to reassure her. "There was no reason to show concern, so I let him leave early. If Goren asks for a half day, I'm sure in the hell not going to object."

She sighed and sat down. She hung her head down towards her lap and her mind began to race. She was worried about him and Ross knew it. Alex began to fidget just like Bobby had done earlier and he took notice of the similarities between the two of them.

_She would kill me if I told her that._

He sighed and cleared his throat. "Look, why don't you take a personal day as well. You're not busy…no new cases…I don't see why you have to stay here." He hinted to her, hoping she would go and check on him. He wasn't worried about him, but he knew she was and it was the only way to subside her worrying.

She got the hint and rapidly stood up.

"Thank you!"

When she got to her desk, she started to quickly gather her things when she stopped herself.

_Jesus, calm down, Alex. _

Her breathing slowed and after a few moments of self talk, she decided to become rational about the situation. Alex decided to give Bobby a call before her worries got the best of her.

_Maybe I'm just overreacting._

She dialed his cell phone number and her eyes went wide with fear when she heard the phone, his phone ring; and not over the phone line either. She swallowed hard and turned her head to look over in the direction of his desk. That's when she saw it...he had left his phone on his desk.

_Not Again. Did he leave it on purpose or by accident this time? Oh shit! I thought he was 'ok' now?_

She grabbed his phone that sat on the corner of his desk and made her way to her car. She knew where she was headed, but she wasn't really sure why.

_The hell I'm not sure!_

She knew she couldn't justify her worrying to him if he was alright, but she also knew that she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight without seeing him and she knew she would never forgive herself if something happened to him. She only hoped that when she got to his apartment, he would be curled up, content and watching a movie or reading.

On the way to his apartment, she tried his home phone. It rang four times and then went to his voicemail.

_Not again! If he is home, alive and well, I'm going to kill him for not answering!_

When she finally reached Bobby's apartment, she quietly knocked on the door. After a few moments of silence, she absently knocked louder.

Still nothing.

Alex shifted her weight slightly and briefly contemplated a few things. She had a spare key to his apartment, which he had given her a year or two into their partnership, but she wasn't sure if she should intrude or not. It was for emergencies only and this didn't really qualify as one.

_The hell it doesn't!_

She started to turn away, but quickly spun back around and dug the key out of her pocket. There was no way in hell she was going home without knowing that he was alright. Shoving the key into the slot, she turned the door and heard the latch click. Once unlocked, she slowly opened the door and glanced inside.

_Oh god…_

His place was a mess with pillows, blankets, books and other random things seemingly tossed on the floor. It worried her because his place was _never_ a mess. Bobby was typically a very organized person and as she swung the door open further, it appeared as if the place had been ransacked. She quickly scanned the entire room, but spotted no one. She listened and that's when she heard what sounded like the running of water coming from his bedroom.

Alex was uncertain about the whole scene in front of her. She was nervous, but deep down inside, she was scared. Not for her life, but for Bobby's and what might've happened to him.

_No, Alex, don't assume anything yet._

Slowly, Alex pulled her weapon out of its holster and tip toed into his bedroom. She had never been in his bedroom before and always wondered what it would look like, but this wasn't the time to get curious.

As she got closer to the bathroom door, in Bobby's bedroom, the sound of the running water grew louder. She heard someone on the other side of the door and a splashing sound coming from what she assumed was the bathtub. After closing her eyes for a quick moment and preparing herself for anything, she pushed on the door roughly with her gun drawn, shoving it open with all her might.

"Oww!" Bobby yelped, rubbing his back where the door had hit him. It scared the shit out of him at first until he turned to face the person responsible for hitting him with the door. "Eames? What the hell are you doing?" He cried out as he gazed up from where he sat on the ground, next to the bathtub.

"Bobby…I" And then she froze as her eyes scanned the contents of his bathtub.

He noticed that her eyes had darted from him, to his bathtub, so he spoke up once more.

"Eames…what are you doing here in _my _apartment?" He re-asked the question as he picked himself up off the floor, a bit stiff from the encounter with the door.

"Bobby…" She began as she put her gun back in her holster.

Bobby took note and was about to question her when the contents of the bathtub flew out of it, soaked, and headed directly towards her.

"Hey…down!" Bobby leaped forward and struggled with the hound.

"Bobby…you got a dog?" She asked surprised.

He smiled and god did it make her feel good. It was a true, Bobby Goren smile. It was the type of smile that Bobby used to produce when they had first been partnered together. As he got older though, it seemed to fade. It seemed to be a lifetime ago since she'd seen a smile that was not forged and it made her smile in return. He blushed as a result.

_Typical Bobby._

"Yeah…yeah, I did. Don't…don't you recognize him?" He asked, petting the top of the mutt's head briefly before reaching for a towel to dry him off.

Alex studied the soggy mutt further and then her eyes widened.

"This is the dog from the case we just solved. It was the dog in the pound that you petted a few times as we questioned a witness, right?"

Bobby nodded and there was that look on his face. _That _look. That damn cute little puppy dog, innocent look he occasionally had on his face. The whole, "who me" look. It was the cutest thing ever, not that she'd ever tell him that. It was that same look he had given her when she told him that he had to come out of the cherry red Ferrari several years back on a case.

She couldn't help but smile again.

"Yeah…after we, um…closed the…the case yesterday…I went back for him. I—I felt…bad. I called them up to ask about him and they said that if no one claimed him or adopted him in a month, they would be forced to…to put him to sleep." He explained as he continued to dry off the dog.

She nodded in understanding and admiration for this man.

"So, do you really think you can take care of a dog…because," She looked passed him just then. "By the looks of things in your living room…" She trailed off. She meant it to be funny, but Bobby took it another way.

_Damn._

He frowned and shifted his glance towards the dog again.

"I don't know…but I'm going to try." His eyes focused on hers once more.

"Bobby, that's not what I meant. I—I'm just surprised."

"So…why are you here again?" He voice sounder harsher than he wanted it to be.

_Oh crap. Well, at least he's not sitting on his couch balled up in depression…or worse._

"I…I was…worried." She shrugged her shoulders.

"Worried? About what?" He asked. He saw her bite her lip and it dawned on him. "Because I left so...abruptly?"

She nodded.

"That and because you left this on your desk." She spoke as she pulled his cell phone out of her right pocket.

There was no need to explain the worrying behind the meaning of leaving his cell phone. She didn't want to go _there _again and she figured he didn't either. The last time he left his cell phone for _her_ on his desk was because…well…

"So that's where it is. I was looking for it." He said, ignoring her stare. "Thanks. Can…can you just set it on the counter. I need to finish drying him off."

She placed it on the countertop by the sink and then watched him, intrigued, as he dried the dog off.

"So…Does it have a name? Or have you picked out a name yet?"

"No, _he _doesn't have a name. They didn't know his name, so...I'm having issues in that department. Have any suggestions?"

She studied the dog and then Bobby. She thought briefly and then snapped her fingers.

"I've got it!" She bent down facing the dog. "Watson!"

"Watson?" He looked at her slightly amused.

"Oh, come on, Bobby. Please don't pretend to tell me that you don't know the meaning of, Watson. You and your reading." She flailed her hands around in no particular order. "You know, the friend of, Sherlock Holmes. I thought about the name Holmes or Sherlock, but it just doesn't sound as good as, Watson." She chuckled.

He continued to stare at her for a moment, mauling it over. "Watson it is." He nodded towards the dog. "You can go sit on my couch if...if you want to. I'll be out in a second."

"Ok…if I can find it. It looks like a war zone in there." She chuckled as she walked out of the room.

"No kidding?" He remarked sarcastically.

Five minutes later, Bobby came out of his bedroom with the dog a few feet behind. It clearly acted as if it was a puppy, but it was actually around six years old for what they estimated at the pound. No one wanted him because of the age and, well, Bobby couldn't just leave him in the pound. He figured it would be good for him. This _was _the thing he needed to cheer him up after a long and painful day at work. It gave him something to take his mind off of work.

"He…Watson doesn't like to be left alone. He…he was abused as a puppy…so…" He broke off. There was no need to explain anymore.

"No one likes to be alone." Bobby nodded. "So, Bobby…" She paused, watching him as he begun to clean up his apartment. "Why didn't you just tell me?" She asked.

"I don't know…I guess I just figured you'd laugh at me or something. Or think I'd officially lost it. I mean, honestly, do I look like a dog person? I can barely take care of myself, Eames." He said as the dog ran up to him and licked his face when he bent down to pick up one of the items on the ground.

"Well, from over here, yeah, it does." She laughed hysterically at the dogs actions. So did Bobby.

"I would say that it's some sort of mid-life crisis but…"

"Not expensive enough?" She had to chuckle at that. She couldn't imagine Bobby going through a mid-life crisis.

"Yeah, something like that."

"So…is this why you left work early?"

"Yeah…my landlord called and said that...that there was a "commotion" in my apartment and I...that a few people had called and complained."

Alex nodded.

"So, what are you going to do with…with Watson when you're at work?" She nodded towards the dog.

"I was thinking about doggie daycare." He mumbled. He never thought he'd say those words.

_Daycare, for a dog?_

Alex's smile faded.

"Are you serious?" She was shocked.

_Is he joking?_

"Yeah, I've heard about it before but it's not like I really needed to look into it before."

"Hmm, not a bad idea?" Her smile returned.

"You think?"

"Yeah, I wonder if they'll take you!" She busted out laughing again.

"Hey!" He pouted.

"So, are they expensive?" She said, avoiding his pouty look.

"I think it varies depending on the place, but it's about 500 a month."

"500 a month! That better come with free room and board for the owner as well!"

Bobby gave her that, are-you-serious-look and then continued.

"Yeah…" He looked at the dog. "But it's worth it. I don't want him to be alone when I'm gone."

Bobby finished picking up the numerous items that had been dragged onto the ground by the dog and then made his way to the couch to sit by Alex.

"Hmm…interesting." She mused out loud.

"What?" He asked confused.

"It's like a whole new you. A whole new life."

"I got a dog, Eames, not a new lifestyle." He rolled his eyes.

"Hey, you never know. You have a dog now, but one day you might come to work dressing _like_ a 'dog,' or a 'gangster.'" She attempted.

Bobby laughed. "They actually pronounce it 'gangsta' now days. Geeze, Eames, get with the lingo. Anyways, I don't think I'll be wearing any baggy pants, and shirts that are 5 sizes too big for me anytime soon."

"Oh come on, I'm sure it would be comfortable. Better than all those suits you wear, and cheaper too." She paused and looked at him. "And did you just say 'lingo?'"

"What? You don't like my suits?" He pouted once again. "I'm hurt, Eames...and yes, I did." He smirked.

"I didn't say that." She lightly smacked him on the arm. "I just said that it would be more comfortable." She shook her head, laughing at him once again.

She tried to remember back when they had laughed so many times in so little minutes, but she gave up. It made her feel good though. This was the partnership she missed so dearly.

He nodded and started to put his head against the back of the couch, when he involuntarily grunted. He shifted his glance down to his lap where the dog had jumped up onto it.

"Oh perfect." He mumbled.

"Comfortable?"

"Very…" Bobby murmured sarcastically.

"Well, that's nice but I was actually asking Watson, not you."

They both laughed simultaneously and then sat in silence for a few minutes, enjoying each others company. Alex was the first one to speak.

"I'm glad you're back, Bobby. I missed you."

He turned to look at her and felt nervous all of a sudden.

"Um, thanks, Eames. It's good to be back. I missed you too."

She smiled.

"So…do you have any plans for the rest of the day?"

"Not that I'm aware of, why?" And then he added, "Would you like to stay for a while? We could order in and watch a movie or something."

"Sounds good to me." She smiled and petted the dog on the head.

_There's no where I'd rather be._

"Um, Alex?"

"Hmm?" She turned to look at him at the mention of her first name.

"Thanks...for, for looking out for me. For caring about me."

"No problem, Bobby. What are partners for?" She reassured him and copied his position on the couch.

_Partner's for life._

**A/N: Ok, so first off, how did ya all like it? Gosh, it's hard to actually write a "happy fic." Happy fics are something I obviously cannot do (Laughs). I searched for "happy" music on my iTunes (since I listen to dark music when I write angst) and realized that I don't really have any…so that didn't work (Whoops). Damn, I'm sticking to not so happy fics. They're my main squeeze (Smiles).**

**On another note, as for the doggie daycare thing…we actually take one of our dogs to daycare. Now mind you, I live in Washington State and not New York, but the one we take them to is 500 a month (per dog), so I just went off that (and yes, they do have them). Anyways, let me know what you think either way.**

**-Snyder-**


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